| Character | Actor | Notable Contribution | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Ashish Sharma | Known for his intense eyes and physical transformation from a raw boy to a mighty king. | | Chanakya | Manoj Joshi | A masterclass in subtle villainy and mentorship. Joshi’s Chanakya is cunning, calm, and ruthless. | | Dhanananda | Surendra Pal (reprising his iconic role from Chanakya 1991) | The perfect arrogant antagonist. | | Mura (Mother) | Priya Bathija | Added emotional gravity to Chandragupta’s origin. | | Seleucus Nikator | Foreign actors | Authentic Greek portrayal, though limited screen time. | | Durdhara | Madhura Naik | Played the queen with grace and political awareness. |
| Feature | | 2018 Serial (Sony TV) | 1991 Chanakya (Doordarshan) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Focus | Chandragupta’s journey | Teen drama & action | Chanakya’s politics | | Tone | Gritty, realistic | Commercial, high-VFX | Academic, slow-burn | | Episode Count | ~180 | ~150 | ~47 | | Availability | Hard to find complete | Easily on Sony LIV | Available on YouTube | | Chanakya | Manoj Joshi (Cold) | Tarun Khanna (Loud) | Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi (Definitive) | chandragupta maurya serial 2011 all episodes
Partially. The show takes creative liberties (compressed timelines, modified character relationships), but it stays truer to the Arthashastra and Greek accounts (e.g., Megasthenes’ Indica ) than most Bollywood films. | Character | Actor | Notable Contribution |
The show was shot in SD (Standard Definition) for TV broadcast in 2011. No HD remaster was ever produced, as Imagine TV no longer exists. | | Dhanananda | Surendra Pal (reprising his